Panera Back-Pedals: First Charged Lemonade Settlement Reached

Panera Bread, the beloved fast-casual dining chain, has now settled the first in a flood of wrongful death lawsuits stemming from their discontinued Charged Lemonade beverages. Their legal team must be exhaling just a bit, even as the suits continue pouring in—and Panera is keeping mum, of course!

Elizabeth Crawford, a partner at Kline & Specter, PC, representing the Katz family, confirmed the settlement in an email statement on Monday. No details were shared about the agreement, naturally—those legal eagles like to keep their cards close to their vests. Other Charged Lemonade cases are still hanging in the balance, she added.

NBC News snagged the scoop on the first settlement. Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old Ivy League student with a heart condition, unfortunately passed away after sipping one of these caffeinated concoctions. Her family was the first of several to take legal action.

Other lawsuits linked the caffeine-packed lemonade, boasting 390 mg of caffeine in a large, to the death of Dennis Brown, 46, from Fleming Island, Florida, and the alleged "permanent" injury of Lauren Skerritt, 28, from Rhode Island.

Panera initially slapped a warning label on the drinks but later pulled the lemony lightning rods, citing a "menu transformation"—certainly not the lawsuits, wink.

Panera Bread didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday morning. Surprised?

The Tragic Case of Sarah Katz

On September 10, 2022, Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student, drank a Charged Lemonade at a local Panera Bread. Suffering from QT syndrome type 1, Katz normally avoided energy drinks. Her family believes she saw "charged" as referring to electrolytes, like in Gatorade. Panera’s labeling apparently didn't scream "caffeine rush ahead."

Holding up her Unlimited Sip Club membership, she got the lethal lemonade. Hours later, she collapsed into cardiac arrest and sadly passed away at the hospital.

Panera's response? "We were very saddened to learn this morning about the tragic passing of Sarah Katz, and our hearts go out to her family. At Panera, we strongly believe in transparency around our ingredients. We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter."

The Legal Battle

Sarah Katz's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Panera on October 23, 2023, in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County. The lawsuit alleged that Katz’s collapse was directly due to the caffeine in the Charged Lemonade. According to court documents, a large Charged Lemonade packs 390 mg of caffeine—more than Monster or Red Bull—but was deceptively marketed as a "clean" drink with as much caffeine as a dark roast coffee.

Katz drank it thinking it was a safe, traditional lemonade. Panera tried to get the case tossed, but the judge wasn't having any of it.

Stay tuned, folks—the legal battles are far from over.